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This site is dedicated to sharing what we have learned with you! Enjoy our tutorials, and if you have a question please feel free to ask! I know one of our sugar enthusiasts will either know or try to find the answer.We all have something to share...and we all have something to learn!

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Key Lime Christmas Tree

Celebrate the Holiday by Creating a Cookie Tree Centerpiece! Scroll down for tutorial!

Saturday, November 2, 2013

When the frost on the pumpkin lies... or when on the counter the cake scraps lie?

You know what I'm talking about!

So what to do you with all those cake scraps? Make cake balls, of course.

Don't
tell anyone, but I actually made some petit fors that looked SO bad
after I iced them, I threw them into a bowl and took out my frustration
on them, beating them into submission...and that's how my punkin patch
got started.

Oh, don't act like you've never wanted to do that!

You know you have!

And I also just hate to throw away scraps.

So, in addition to the orange petite for disasters, I made a batch of chocolate from leftover scraps from a cake I leveled.

So if you want to make some "punkins", just crumble cake scraps into a bowl.

Now at this point, you can add different things to make the crumbs adhere.

To 2 cups cake crumbs,

you can add

3/4 to 1 cup

of Buttercream icing,

OR cream cheese,

OR (my personal favorite) chocolate ganache!

Start with a half cup, then add the binding agent until you have a nice soft paste, you can add more

if you like. That is entirely a personal preference.

The softer the mixture, the longer you will need to chill them before dipping the cake balls.

Chill that mixture for a few hours, then, using a melon baller, just scoop them out,

roll them into a ball and place on waxed paper.

For pumpkins, score the cake balls, using a toothpick, as shown.

Cover them with plastic wrap and placed them in the freezer for at least an hour, or overnight.

Melt 8 oz orange confectionery melts in a chocolate warmer or over a double boiler.

Add paramount crystals, a tablespoon at a time, to thin until it becomes a nice dipping consistency.

If you are making a lot, then try dipping half in white confectionery melts for contrast.

Insert
a toothpick into cake ball and dip into prepared confectionery melts,
and remove quickly, allowing excess coating to fall back into pan.

If
desired, dip in autumn leaves sprinkles, ground nuts, or even finely
ground cake or cookie crumbs directly after insertion. Remove
toothpick. Don't worry about the hole or cracking. You are going to
cover that up anyway.

They don't have to be perfect.

I have yet to find a pumpkin that is perfect when choosing one to carve!!!

Easy so far? It really is!!

Once the coating is set, you can brush on some edible luster dust for a little gilding.

For the final step, you will need icing tips #2,# 4, and a leaf tip #67, a piping bag fitted with a coupler,

2013This tutorial and photography is the property of Jacque Benson- copyright 2013- and used with permission from the author. This material may not be used, copied or printed without expressed permission from the author, Jacque Benson.